Forming die



A. JOHNSON Feb. 10, 1931;

FORMING DIE Filed April 12, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HLFRED (JOHNSON ATTORNEY A. JOHNSON Feb. 10, 1931.

FORMING DIE Filed April 12, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FIL FRED JOHNSON BY 'ATTORNEY 29 hammer will be absorbed by the flat bottom Patented Feb. 10, 1931 warren stares PATENT Fries ALFRED J'OHNSQN, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE STUDEBAKER COB- PORA'I'ION, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY FORMING- DIE Application filed April lz,

This invention relates to forming dies, and the principal object is to provide means whereby an article having two or more mass portions connected by a central portion may be forged with such central portion in a vertical position with one of the mass portions disposed above the other.

rLIlOtllBI object is to prdvide a multiple part die provided with depressions adapted 19 to receive the body portion of an article having mass portions connected by a central portion, whereby the uppermost of the mass portions may be forged to shape.

7 Another object is to provide a forming die having a flat lower surface and divergent sides adapted to be normally seated in a block having a depression provided with a corresponding flat bottom and divergent sides whereby the force of the blow of the forging of the depression and not by the sides thereof.

Still another object is to provide a forming die having the shape of a truncated wedge with the wider portion uppermost and split vertically through the center thereof, with means for positively raising and separating the parts of the die, to permit the insertion and removal of an article, a portion of which has been forged while the body portion has been held by the'parts of the die.

A further object is to provide a forming die of two parts abutting against each other, each having an inclined outer side and a flat bottom seating against corresponding inclined sides and a flat bottom of a depression formed in a die receiving shoe, with air ducts which when the parts of the die are raised, will be uncovered to allow air to enter and blow out dust and scale from the depression which might drop therein, thereby allowing the die to seat properly when lowered to normal position.

These being among the objects of the present invention, the same consist of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and then claimed, having the above and other objects in view.

As previously described, the main purpose 1926. Serial No. 101,414.

for which the present invention has been developed is to provide means whereby an article having mass portions connected by a central portion may be formed with the central portion in an upright position and one panying drawing is formed for operation on such an axle, the particular operationin the case il ustrated being the formation of the spring pad on such axle, which pad is adapted to receive and to which is adapted to be secured the conventional leaf spring generally used on motor vehicles. In the present case, the axle has been preliminarily formed to an I-beam section, the lower or mass portion be ing connected by the web or central port-ion to the spring pad which is a continuation and enlargement of the usual upper transverse or mass portion.

In the use of this invention about to be described it is possible to form the spring seat to be perfectly flat. Heretofore it has been necessary to first shape the axle with an excess of metal for the spring seat pads which was then milled off by a machining operation to obtain the desired flat surface. This has been necessary as it was practically impossible to form this fiat surface when the axle was forged'because of the drawing of the metal to form the body of the axle. It is partly for this reason of eliminating the machining operation in such instances that the present invention has been developed.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a suitable embodiment of the present invention and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several Views:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the present in-. venton showing a portion of a vehicle axle held therein with a finished Spring seat pad formed thereon.

Figure 2 i a side elevation of-the spring seat forming die shown in Figure 1, clearly showing the means for raising the halves of the die.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 more clearly showing the operating mechanism in normal position with the front axle held therein.

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, but showing the halves of the die in raised and separated position with the axle partly removed therefrom.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the die shoe or receiving block 10 is suitably supported on a bed 11 which may or may not form a portion ofthe support for the forging hammer (not shown). Formed centrally in the top surface of the die receiving block 10 is a. trough-shaped depression having a flat bottom 12 and inclined sides 13 diverging outwardly therefrom, which is adapted to receive the die proper.

The die, which is adapted to be received in this depression, is formed to exactly match the same and to that end is formed with sioe portions 14, complementary to the sides 13 of the die block depression, which extend in a downwardly converging direction to the fiat bottom surface 15 which is complementary to the bottom surface 12 ofthe die block depression. The sides 14 and bottom 15 of the die, with the exception of the small areas formed by the various openings in its surface and in the surface of the depression as will be hereinafter apparent, are in contact with theccornplementary surfaces of the die block depression throughout their entire surface. The die is split longitudinally, centrally of its width, and in a vertical plane to provide two halves 16, and in the abutting surfaces thus formed between the die halves 16 and in the upper surfaces thereof, are sunk the depressions 17 to which the shape of the finished pieces which are to be forged therein are to conform.

t was previously mentioned that the die halves 16 areraised and lowered to permit the removal and insertion of aXles such as 18 from and into the grooves or depressions 17. To do this effectively and quickly, each die half 16 is provided with a rocker arm 19 adapted to be operated by a pivoted bail 20. Vertical recesses 21, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, are out in the receiving block 10 and extend from the edges of the depression to the outer edges of the block 10, the bottom 22 of the recesses 21 being out in such a mannor as to slant upwardly from the outside faces of the block 10 to the inclined faces 13 of the depression. The sides of each recess 21 are formed with oppositely disposed grooves 23 extending downwardly to the slanting bottoms 22 thereof. The rocker arms 19 which are provided with oppositely extending lateral pins 24 and a lower cam shaped edge are positioned in the recesses 21 with pins 24 received in and guided by the grooves 23 and with the lower edge thereof bearing against the bottom 22 of the recess 21. The inner end 25 of each rocker arm 19 extends beyond the inclined side 13 of the depression and seats against the upper face 26 of a recess 27 formed in the inclined face 14 of the die half 16, and the outer end thereof extends outwardly past the edge of the block 10 upon which the bail 20 reposes. With the die halves 16seated properly inthe depression, the bail 20 being pivoted on pins or bolts such as 28 to the sides of the die receiving block 10, and resting on the outer ends of the rocker arms 19, causes the inner ends of the arms 19 to bear against the upper faces 26 of the recesses 27 and the cam-shaped under edges of the arms 19 to rest on the slanting bottom 22 of the recesses 21, as shown in Figure 3. The bail 20 is U- shaped and as previously stated, is pivoted to the sides of the die receiving block 10 and is operatedby a pedal 29 pivoted on a bolt 30 which is secured to one'end of the die receiving block 10 and extends over the U-portion of the bail 20. A downward movement of the pedal 29 causes the bail 20 to swing downwardly about its pivot pins 28, in turn forcing the outer ends of the rocker arms 19 downwardly. The rocker arms 19 are prevented from moving in any direction other than vertical by the pins 24 confined within the grooves 23, and consequently when the outer ends thereof are forced downwardly, the rocker arms 19 must assume a rocking or tipping motion with the cam-shaped under edges riding on the slanting bottoms 22 of the recesses 21. In doing this the inner ends of the arms 19 cause the die halves 16 to slide upwardly along the slanting sides 13 of the depression and to separate, mainly because of the direction of application of the force of the rocker arms 19 against the upper surfaces 26 of the recesses 27 in the die halves 16. if in the removal of the axle, one of the die halves tends to move outwardly it will be prevented from moving any great distancecby the projecting edge of the recess 27 contacting against the end of the rocker arm 19. Weights such as 31 may be provided at the free ends of the bail 20 to help lower the same to normal position thereby allowing the diehalves16 to seat in the depression in the die receiving block 10.

It is possible that after the spring seat pad 32 has been formed on the axle 18 and the axle is being removed from the separated die halves 16, that dirt and scale from the cooling metal may drop therefrom into the depression inthe die receiving block 10. To

remove this possible dirt and scale and to insure a clean seat for the die halves 16, air passages34 are provided in the die receiving block 10 which lead from air lines 35 connected to some suitable source of air supply under pressure to the bottom of the depression. When the die halves 16 are in normal position they provide a valve or shut off means for the passages 84, but when they are raised the passages are'automatically uncovered and allow air toenter the depression and blow out the dirt and scale, the air not being shut off until the die halves 16are dropped back to normal position.

Trough-shaped recesses 38 are formed in the upper surface of the die block 10 to allow the body of axle to project through when held in position by the die halves 16.

In operation, the workman takes a previously formed axle heated to a forging temperature around the metal which is later formed into the spring seat pads 32, separates the die halves 16 by stepping on the pedal 29, the air coming from the passages 34 under pressure blowing the dirt and scale from the depression, and places the axle in such a position that when he releases the pedal 29, the die halves 16 will drop back into the depression in the die block 10 and the body of the axle will be gripped by the sides of the depressions 17 in the die halves 16, with the unformed spring seat pad extending above the die recesses 17 in the upper faces of the die halves 16. The workman then operates the forging hammer or whatever device is used, which forces the excess metal of the axle into the die recesses 17, forming the finished spring seat pad 32. The force of the blows from the hammer are absorbed by the die receiving block 10 through the bottoms of the die halves 16 and flat bottom 12 of the depres- I si on and not by the slanting sides 13 thereof. After the pad 32 is forged the workman steps on the pedal 29 raising the die halves 16 to remove the completed axle 18, and repeats the same operation with another axle.

From the foregoing description, the ad vantages of this invention are apparent, that an article of the shape described may be held in position so that a part may be quickly and easily forged thereon, that the multiplepart die of the present invention embodies new and novel principles in that'it is adapted to hold a previously partially formed article while a portion is being formed thereon and the parts thereof are adapted to be raised and seperated to permit the removal of the finished forged article therefrom. Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit and substance of the broad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a forging device, a vertically movable multiple part die having depressions of the shape of the forged article, and means comprising manually operated rocker arms having pivots vertically movable in fixed guideways cooperating with said die whereby said parts are raisedand separated for the discharge of said forged article.

52; In a forging device, a multiple part die iaving tapered sides, a support for said die provided with atrough-shaped depression ,lfiVlIlf' upwardly diverging sides, and opof means for raising and separating said die comprising vertically guided rocker arms having cam shaped edges, contacting at the forward ends-with the sides of said die and along said edges with said supporting bed, and abail for rocking said'arms thereby to raise said die.

4.111 a forging device, ajsupporting bed having a depression provided with a flat bottom and upwardly diverging sides, a multiple part separable die normally positioned in said depression having sides and a bottom complementary to "said sides and bottom of said depression, and positively operated'cam-shaped rocker arms-engaging said die parts vertically 'guidedby grooves in said bed, the bottom edges thereof bearing against said bed thereby to cause said die to'slide upwardly upon actuation of said rocker arms along said sides of said depression to be positively separated.

5. In a forging device, a support having a depression with upwardly diverging sides, multiple part die having inclined sides complementary to said sides of said depression, and means co-acting with said die parts and said supportwhereby said parts may be lifted and caused to follow said diverging sides during said movement, said means comprising cam faced rocker arms restrained from longitudinal movement, the cam faces thereof rocking on said support.

6. In a forging device, a support having a depression with upwardly diverging'sides, a multiple part die havinginclinedsides complementary to said sides of said depression, andbodily movable rocker arms having vertically "movable fulcr'ums' "intermediate their ends co-acting with said die parts and said support whereby said parts may be raised and caused to slide along said diverging sides during said raising movement.

7. In a forging device the combination with a multiple part die having tapered sides and a support for said die provided with a depression having upwardly diverging sides, of bodily movable cam-faced rocker arms seating on said support restrained to move in a predetermined path co-acting with said die parts whereby said parts may be lifted and positively caused to follow said diverging sides during said lifting movement.

8. In a forging device, the combination with a support having a depression provided with upwardly diverging sides and a multiple part die having inclined sides complemental to said sides of said depression, of rockable arms for raising and separating said die parts, the forward ends of said arms seating in recesses in said sides of said die parts, said recesses having downwardly projecting lips for engagement with the inner ends of said arms. a

9. In a forging device, the combination of a bed having a depression therein and an air passage leading into said depression, a multiple part die supported by said bed in said depression normally closing said air passage, and means for raising said die parts and thereby uncovering said air passage.

10. In a forging device, the combination of a support having a trough-shaped depression, a separable die normally positioned in said depression, means for raising and separating said die, and air passages in said support uncovered by the movement of said die for admitting air under pressure to said depression for cleaning dirt and scale from said depression and said die.

11. In a forging device, a support, a separable die positioned in a depression in said support, means for raising and separating said die, and air passages in said support for admitting air under pressure to said depression uncovered by initial movement of said die.

12. In a forging device, the combination of a support having a trough-shaped depression therein, a vertically movable separable die normally seated on the bottom wall of said depression, means for raising and separating said die, and an air passage in said support adjacent the bottom wall of said depression for admitting air under pressure into said depression, said air passage being uncovered by movement of said die to allow the air to clean dirt and scale from said depression anddie.

13. In a forging device, the combination of a support provided with a depression having a flat bottom and diverging sides, a movable and separable die having sides and a bottom complementary to said bottom and supporting the same, means for raising and separating said die parts comprising oppositely disposed rocker. arms pivotally mounted on said base, and means to permit vertical slidable movement of said pivots on said base. 7 I v Signed by me at South Bend, Indiana, U. S. An, this 8th day of April, 1926.

" ALFRED JOHNSON.

said sides of said depression normally positioned in said depression, and air passages opening into said depression closed by said die when in seated position whereby said passages are opened by initial movement of said die to allow air under pressure to enter said depression and clean out dirt'and scale.

14. In a forging device, a vertically movable multiple part die having depressions of the shape of the forged article, a bed having a depression therein of substantially the size and shape of said die for receiving and 

